This invention relates to an articulated doll and particularly to an articulated doll providing movement between a head portion thereof and a torso portion thereof.
Heretofore, articulated dolls have been provided in which a manually manipulatable device, normally disposed within the torso of the doll, effects movement of a head portion of the doll relative to the torso portion. For instance, U.S. Letters Pat. Nos. 2,701,933; 2,764,841; and 3,376,665 provide means on the torso portion whereby the torso portion can be depressed so as to effect movement of the head of the doll relative to the torso portion. However, the head is moved only in a uni-directional motion. U.S. Letters Pat. Nos. 2,137,371 and 2,334,290 also show remote mechanisms for moving a head of a doll relative to the torso thereof in a uni-directional motion either by movement of the doll's arms or by a separate lever, in the latter patent, by means within the torso of the doll. Other patents, such as U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,757,463, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, shows means remote from the head of the doll for effecting plural motions of the doll, but only in discreet vertical and horizontal directions. The present invention is directed to providing a doll with head motion which not only can nod in a vertical path about a horizontal axis and a twisting path about a vertical axis but also providing universal movement to give realism and life-like movement of the head of a doll relative to the torso portion thereof.
It is an object, therefore, to provide a doll of the character described.
In the exemplary embodiment, the doll is provided with a head portion mounted on top of a torso portion by means of a ball and socket type joint. A singular manually manipulatable mechanism is provided on the torso of the doll remote from the head portion thereof by means of a ball and socket joint having a handle portion exposed on the exterior of the torso portion for grasping by a user, particularly a child. The handle is connected to the ball and a horizontal linkage member is fixed to the ball for movement therewith. A vertical linkage member is pivotally connected to the ball for the head portion and is universally connected for movement with the horizontal member connected to the manually manipulatable ball. The vertical linkage member extends through a horizontal guide member to insure substantially vertical movement thereof and the guide member is pivotally connected to the base of a stabilizing vertical support member which, at its upper end, is pivoted to the ball of the head portion on an axis parallel to the horizontal axis at the upper end of the vertical linkage member. The lower end of the stabilizing vertical support member is pivoted on a vertical axis to a fixed frame member within the torso of the doll.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.